The Director General of SELEC, Mrs. Snejana Maleeva, participated as a key speaker to the regional workshop “The Potential Risks of the Emergence of Clandestine Laboratories in the region to manufacture drugs” organized during 28-30 March 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The workshop was organized by GCC- Criminal Information Center to combat drugs in collaboration with US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), UNODC, Dubai Police, CARICC, UK National Crime Agency (NCA), Hemaya International Center, International Narcotics Board Control (INBC) and SELEC.
The speakers noted the threat of the spread of synthetic drugs in the Persian Gulf region against the backdrop of a rapidly changing situation after the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. It was underlined that organized crime groups involved in drug trafficking are changing the direction of their criminal activities by creating drug laboratories on the territory of the countries.
Mrs. Maleeva presented SELEC’s joint investigations conducted by its Member States that led to the discovery of illegal laboratories in Southeast Europe, as well as the most successful recent operation that led to the detection and seizure of 1 tons 105 kg of drug precursors used in Amphetamine-Methamphetamine production. The key findings of the latest analytical report on Drug Seizures in Southeast Europe were also highlighted to the participants to the workshop.
As part of the event, SELEC’s Director General had bilateral meetings with the Directors of GCC-CIC and CARICC, as well as with the representative of UNODC Office for the GCC region, on exploring the possibilities of enhancing cooperation in the field of drug trafficking. GCC- Criminal Information Center, established in 2007 in recognition of the serious problems resulting from the illicit trafficking of drugs, is an Observer to SELEC.